The London Knights traded golden world junior goalie Igor Bobkov's OHL rights to Doug Gilmour's Kingston Frontenacs on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2012 and London's original 13th rounder in 2012.

The Anaheim Ducks third-rounder served as London's backup this past season but had a successful stint with the AHL's Syracuse Crunch after the Knights' playoff series ended.

"He came in here behind the eight-ball and had to battle his weight early on," said Knights goalie coach Bill Dark, "and he didn't get to play as much because Michael Houser never opened the door for him.

"Bob steadily improved as the year went on (he stopped 44 shots in a win over Kitchener in the season finale) and won two games facing over 40 shots in Syracuse but I think, if he goes to Kingston and is the starter there, he'll be well-served by another year in the OHL."

The 20-year-old finished the spring with the Ducks as their third goalie in the playoffs. Goalie coach Pete Peeters called his progress "night-and-day" from when he first arrived in London.

Kingston is in a major rebuild mode.

"Igor's presence and mature attitude will only help to enhance the development of our younger players," said Gilmour, the Frontenacs GM. "This is a young man that has the ability to not only keep us in games, but to win them as well."

Bobkov went 4-10 in his rookie season with London.

His most memorable moment was coming on in relief to stop 20 shots in Russia's world junior gold-medal win over Canada at Buffalo in January. He was named game MVP.

Bobkov played in all six games for Russia at the 2010 world juniors in Saskatoon and also starred at the 2009 under-18 tournament in Fargo, N.D.

Kingston is gambling the Ducks will send back Bobkov in October after NHL training camp.

The Knights and Fronts are also rumoured to be working on a deal that would send Max Domi, the eighth overall pick in the 2011 OHL draft, to London in late August.

No part of this Bobkov transaction can be included if that one ends up happening.

Former Knights assistant Jacques Beaulieu was also busy on the first day the OHL trade window reopened. The new Sarnia Sting GM and head coach acquired 18-year-old Domenic Alberga from the Brampton Battalion for a 2012 fourth-round pick and picked up injury ravaged local product Justin Thomas and a third-rounder in 2012 from the Soo Greyhounds for forward Brandon Alderson, a 2012 fifth-rounder and two conditional picks in 2015.

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NOW A FRONT MAN

(Knights traded overage goalie Igor Bobkov to the Kingston Frontenacs on Wednesday for Kingston's fifth-round pick in 2012 and London's original 13th rounder in 2012)